Banded hollow glass structural unit



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BANDED HOLLOW GLASS STRUCTURAL UNIT Filed Dec. 7, 1956 `a hollow glass United States Patent O 2,941,393 BANDED HOLLOW GLASS STRUCTURAL UNIT Murray McDavitt and Harvard B. Vincent, Toledo, Ohio,

assignors to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 7, 1956, Ser. No. 627,047

3 Claims. (Cl. 72-41) This invention relates to hollow glass structural units such as building blocks or domes which are currently used in or contemplated for use in constructing walls, skylights, partitions, and/or other parts of buildings.

Glass blocks, which are usually of rectangular form, are customarily laid in mortar with each block having a surrounding coating of coarse granular material rmly bonded to the glass. This roughened surface material facilitates bonding the glass blocks with mortar when the blocks are laid in any normal manner wtih a layer of mortar interposed between their mortar-bearing side surfaces. Heretofore, only an extremely thin annular layer of organic plastic material has been initially employed to bond the granular material to the side surfaces of the blocks. The granular material has been applied solely to improve the bonding of the mortar to the glass and to prevent opening and subsequent leakage at the sealed interfaces under service conditions.

Where the blocks have been individually banded with layers of plastic and rough granular materials solely for the purpose of facilitating the bonding between glass and mortar, erection of the blocks into durable structures cannot be conveniently accomplished in all cases such as skylights. The amount of hand labor involved in mounting the blocks utilizing mortar as well as inherent difliculties attendant to their installation in skylighting arrangement thereby necessitate that other retention means be furnished for their economical and expedient mounting in various structural relationshisps. This is true whether the blocks or domes be mounted singly or in combined units such as glass block panels.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide article for building purposes having a surrounding plastic band adherently bonded to the glass for retention of said article in structural relationship.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hollow glass building block or dome-like structure for mountingin a building which structure has an integrally-attached, impervious, plastic ring or bracket surrounding its side surfaces ,for its permanent restraint in installed relationship.

Still another object of this invention is to provide as anew article of manufacture a hollow glass building block or dome having an impervious plastic band surrounding its side surfaces which band is contoured to durably vrestrain the glass block or dome in weather-tight relationship throughout an extensive range of atmospheric conditions. f

lStill another object of this invention is to provide a method of forming an integrally-bonded, laminated plastic band surrounding the lateral side surfaces of a hollow glass dome-like structure to constitute an attachment annulus therearound for its detachable mounting in an extremely durable and Weatherproof manner in a building structure. l

'I'he specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent alsl ice

to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the annexed sheet of drawings on which, by way'of preferred example only, are illustrated the preferred embodiments of this invention. 1.

On the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a glass building block and surrounding mold in accordance with the present invention. f

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the glass building block and mold with the mold interior shown in broken lines. l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one portion of the glass building block and mold taken along the line 3-'3 of Fig. 2. l

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the banded block in installed arrangement.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modication of the above arrangement.

While this invention will be described as specifically applied to the manufacture of a glass building block having a dome-like construction with relatively smooth viewing and side surfaces, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the principles of the invention are equally applicable to the manufacture of any type of hollow glass building unit for structural purposes formed by the assembly of two or more prefabricated glass parts which are unitedly joined.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of a hollow glass dome or building block 10 having relatively dat viewing panels `10a and 10b. Glass block 10 is normally formed of two similarly shaped halves which are centrally joined by fusion of their complemental annular anges along the planar line 10d into integrally united side surfaces 10c. Side surfac 10c may be either relatively smooth or formed with a series of small annular anges for reinforcement vof the block.

.Block side surfaces 10c in accordance with the present invention are initially coated with a thin annular layer 11 of glass-bondable, metal-organic containing material such as tetrabutyl titanate, Volan, or a selected silicone resin. Annular layer 11 extends fully co-extensive with side surfaces 10c and may be applied by brushing, spraying or by any other expedient method tothe exterior glass side surfaces. The material which comprises annular layer 11 is frequently ,one containing a solvent, which, when removed by the moderate application of heat for example, leaves its reactive, metal-organic constituent firmly and durably bonded to the glass.

Another slightly thicker annular layer 12 of a resilient organic polymer is applied over layer 11 and is selected to include an organic material which will bond with first-applied thin layer 11. Layer 12 may be composed of a synthetic elastomer to furnish resilient and slightly deformable characteristics to this intermediate layer. The elastomeric material may consist of polyurethane resin, polyvinyl resin, or neoprene. The selected material, which mayl -be classilied in any one of these groups although a polyurethane resin or neoprene are preferred, may be applied in an unreacted condition over layer 11 and vreacted in place with a suitable catalyst and/or a plasticizer to complete its reaction into a fully polymerized condition; The first two layers 11 and 12 contiguous Vwith glass side surfaces 10c are applied to glass blocklt) while it is separated from and prior to its being mounted in mold 13. v

Mold :13 is fabricated of metal and is a transverse center line 13a. Mold 13 has an overall shape similar to and adaptable to surround the side surface 10c of glass block 10 a uniform distance therefrom. Mold 13 is generally rectangular in shape with interior separable along chemically surfaces 13b having dimensions greater `rthanthe longitudinal dimensions of similar viewing panels .laand b and a thickness less than side surfaces 10c. Thus mold 13 is able to encompass themajor central portions of side surfaces 10c withv an open 'annulus therebetween.

`An l'inlet line 14Iand an outlet SlinelS are attachedto and extend through opposite'sidewalls .of moldd coincidental with its longitudinal axis. Theinterior-'Iof :mold 13 has relatively smooth vertical molding surfaces v13b and an enlarged portion 13e located fin -its'upper kregion which is adaptable to forming an annular auge.

'Mold 13 is placed around. block 10 with its .center thorizontal plane coincidental with block sealing line 10d. Two bands 16 of elastic material such assynthetic rubber are tted into the .annularsareas at the upper and lower limits of the mold to contact both mold 13 and glassE-Sde surfaces 10c. Thus .the open 'annulus between mold 13 and surrounding annular 'layers .11 :and 120m gla'ss'surfaces ldlc is completely enclosed except for inlet'and outlet lines 14 and 15.

After mold 13 is .properly placedaround block-10, an intermixed .plastic material is either 'forced into theopen annulus under pressure or drawn thereinunder vacuum to 'form an outermost `plastic band 19 bonded tolintermediate plastic layer 12. The inlet and outlet lines 14 and 15 may be .arranged in vertical alignment during the molding operation with inlet line-14 below and :outlet line 15 above, for example, to allow the plastic material to ow or be drawn upwardly into the open annulus.

The plastic material is principally composed of .a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, polyester resin or phenolic resin which upon reaction -will bond to the resilient' annular layer 12 and be converted intoarigid annular band 19 for support of glass block 10. The widest portionof interior molding surface 13C thus facilitates the molding of a durable-annular flange 19a extending radially from the upper region of band 19.

The plastic material which comprises the major reactive organic constituent of band 19 is preferably an epoxy resin -which has coefficients of thermal expansion and contraction about 3 to 5 times those of the glass. The laminated nature of the band is suitable Vfor withstanding severe temperature variations without fdamage to `either the @plastic band or the glass. In nothern climeS, where the temperature differences vary from 40 to +110 F., both the laminated plastic hand composed of layers 11, 12 and v19 `and-glass -block 10 must be capable of withstanding both these temperature and atmospheric pressure variations without developing cracks which would allow the entrance vofdamaging elements such as water. The resin selected `foroutermost band 19 may contain a mineralfiller such as'nely-divided calcium carbonate, silicaor other material to give body, strength and reduced coeicient of expansion and `contraction to the reacted polymerized` material. The intermixed material for injection into the mold also "contains a suitable catalyst and/ or plasticirer to obtainl complete polymerization of the resin. v

.After the mold :has been completely filled -with the intermixed plastic material to form annular band 19 and has been permitted to remain in the mold for a sufcient interim to obtain complete reactionthereof, mold 13 is separated along the line 13a and removedfrom'glass block 10 leaving the laminated plastic ring composed of layers 11, 12, and 19 surrounding glass block 10. The two elastic bands 16 which are employed to seal the `mold may be removed and one or both edges 'of the Vplastic material may be coated with athin layer ofcaulking or elastomer material such as Thiokol rubber applied to the upper and/or lower extremities of the'laminated plastic band to funther insure a weather-'tightbondbetween the glass and plastic layers.

throughout the season may Glass building block '10 with its surrounding plastic band 19 may be mounted in skylighting arrangement as shown in Fig. 4 with an upright metal curb 20 surrounding an opening in roof 24. Annular curb 20 has an upper flange 20a which provides an underlying supporting surface for annular flange 19a of plastic band 19. An annular gasket 21 of imperivous weatherproof material such as neoprene rubber may be interposed between annular flange 19a .and 4curb Asupport idangc 20a.

.In another modication of the mounting arrangement of banded glass blockl, an .annular-.curb 22 Vmay tbe mounted on roof 24 surrounding a skylightingopening. Curb 22 has an outwardly directed support ange 22a of complemental contour to -the-annular'ange'19a of plastic band 19 for its vsupport in underlyingrrelationship. A similar gasket of weatherproof material 21 may be employed between frange 19a and support flange 22a. An annular metallic ring 23 having a U-shaped cross-section may be employed to enclose the radial extremities Vof Aannular flange 19a, support flange 22a :and gasket :material 21.

In the abovedescribed invention the term glass `huilding bloc Lhas vbeen employed to -describe a glass `structuralunit although the term glass dome or glass skylighting element may be also employed to describe the glass element. It `is 'not the purposeof this invention to limit its scope to a glass block alone butto include all other forms of glass v*building units which are employed in construction.

Various modifications may :be resorted lto within l'the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Weclairn: f

l. As a new articie of manufacture, a hollow vsealed glass structural -unit having twin iight-transmitting panels surrounded by integrally joined annular side surfaces, said side surfaces provided vwith `a continuous annular coating Acomprised of a thin layer of -glass-bondable, metal-organic containing material vapplied directly tothe glass, a shaped annular member of substantial thickness comprised of van essentially rigid thermosetting organic resin surrounding said side-surfaces, and an intermediate essentially resilient cushioning layer comprised of a polymerized organic material joining the said coating and said shaped annular member, said shaped annular member being essentially opaque and having a radial 'flange projecting from said side surfaces'adapted to support'said structural unit in weather-tight relation.

2. The hollow sealed glass structural -unit in'accordance with claim 1, wherein said shapedannular member is'of considerably greater cross-sectional thickness than "said coating and cushioning layers `and'is comprised essentially of an epoxy resin.

3. The hollow sealed glass Vstructural Yunit in accordance withl claim l, wherein said'intermediate essentially resilient cushioning layer consists of a -polymerizedpolyurethane resin.

References Cited in the vtile-of this lpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,297,309 Limbert sept. 29, 1942 2,318,362 Boeglen et al May 4, 1943 2,333,723 Jordan Nov. 9, .1943 2,397,242. Chubb et al 'Ma1'.26,Y y1946 2,685,107 Schultz i- Aug. 3, :1954 2,703,486 Ford Mar. 8,- .1955 2,714,816 Pennell Aug. .9, 41955 2,754,237 Brooks *July .10, V19.56 2,776,910Y AErickson et al. Jan. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS l 

